At a time when DIY home projects are booming, a new name in Rochester hardware is looking to hammer out a spot.
Steve Burggraf, owner of Minnesota-based Burggraf's Ace Hardware, has signed a lease to build out a 10,000-square-foot store in the Barlow Plaza shopping center.
The new store will be near the corner of the main L-shaped building at Civic Center Drive and Sixth Street Northwest. It will have both front and rear entrances.
Burggraf has nine other Ace stores in Minnesota and North Dakota, including one in Winona. He hopes to open the new Rochester store in early December. Burggraf expects to hire 12 to 15 employees to staff it.
Why open a store in Rochester?
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“I just think it is one of the best cities in Minnesota,” he said. “This is a great opportunity to have an Ace there.”
Rochester did have a pair of Ace Hardware stores up until June. That was when Dave Neiman switched his two Arrow Hardware stores over to the True Value brand from Ace.
Burggraf, who's friends with Neiman, is enthusiastic about Ace Hardware, which is booming during the pandemic with record earnings.
“And we hope to have another store or two in Rochester. We’re on the lookout right now,” he said. “If something becomes available on the south end or farther north, we're going to get in there.”
